Her Eyes
by reBELLS14
Summary: Part 1/4: Katara was raised to be wary and fearful of the Fire Nation, but when the banished prince switches sides, will she be so forgiving, or will someone from her past reminder of what his people did? Will the prince be able to save her, or will be lost in his own memories?
1. Prologue

Zutara

Prologue

Katara's POV

His eyes watched my every move, glancing up and down my form. We in the gang had not bathed for days in fear that we would be captured by the Fire Nation, so I knew I looked atrocious. My hair was tangled in its own tangles, and my face had smudges of dirt on it from falling just moments ago. I didn't look down at my clothes, for I knew that they were barely holding onto my overly-thin body. I had no meat on my bones because we went without food for several days, and we knew that we had to survive.

He slowly approached me… his strong and forceful body held high in pride for the colors he wears and the name given to him by the Devil himself. I despised him ever since Ba Sing Se I have not trusted him for his betrayal. Everyone believes of his "transformation", but I don't. Not one bit…

"Katara," his voiced whispered as soft as silk. I turned from him.

"Katara," he spoke once again. Shivers ran down my spine. I ignored them.

"Katara, look at me."

"Why should I?" You defiled my family, forced me from my own home, and your nation took my family and ripped it to shreds.

"Because I need you…"

I turned and glared at him, however, my heart skipped a beat unconsciously to his slight whispered voice. He was staring at me, his pure golden eyes was melting my hard shell form around me. They were silently speaking to me as if reaching to my soul. Tearing my eyes from his stare, I slowly walked away…

Something held onto my hand, pulling me back. It was warm and it felt safe to me… Looking down I saw it was a pale and calloused hand. His hand…

"Katara, please look at me…"

I turned my head around and look straight into his molten eyes, enticing me to look at them forever. Yet, I looked away. Suddenly I felt a pull, and I was sent into his well chiseled chest. I could hear his heart beating to the rhythm like that of a drum… Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum…

"Katara…"

I looked up… My heart beat wildly as I gazed into his beautiful golden eyes.

"Katara, I lo-, "

A lightning bolt struck out from behind him, its amazing light shone throughout on his gorgeous skin, making it glow. But as lovely things can be it can turn deadly too…

The bolt shot through his body, ripping it from me. He was dead…

"ZUKO!"

I should have been happy, but I couldn't stop the tears from flowing down my face. Then a loud crack was heard and I stared down the next bolt of lightning down as it then entered my body…

I woke up, sweating…


	2. Chapter 1

Key:

Normal font

_Thoughts (depending on the character POV)_

_**Hama's thoughts**_

**Hama's voice**

Flashback

Chapter 1

Katara's POV

Walking around the temple, I stretched out my sore muscles. Everyone was still asleep in their rooms; Aang had led us throughout the entire temple to figure out the entirely new structure. The entire building was UPSIDE DOWN. Each hall was long and held only two doors on each side, so there were four rooms. However the biggest thing was that the bathrooms were HUGE… But you had to share with whoever was your neighbor (the door next to you). I was lucky at first. Sokka and Sukki shared the rooms next to each other, which was a big shock to everyone (yeah right). Chit Sang and dad both shared the walls, so as to ensure that Chit Sang won't harm us. Teo and Haru both shared their own wall, as Aang and The Duke shared one too. Toph didn't like sleeping in an enclosed room, though it was made entirely of stone, she felt better outside. There were two rooms left: mine and Zuko's. I detested this idea. I don't care if he helped bring my dad back, maybe Sokka had to pay him to let dad come. I am not sure… I still don't trust him.

I walked around the giant fountain observing the water just being beautiful… I decided that since it was really early and the sun hadn't shone yet I would train with my waterbending, and then take a shower afterward. I would make the gang breakfast after I was done.

It was about two in the morning, Yue was at her peak looking as beautiful as she did. I felt the power that came from her entering my body and strengthening me. It was overpowering my mind…

"_**Bloodbender…"**_

I turned whipping the water to my aid, but no one was there.

"_**Bloodbending is in your blood…"**_

I looked around me, but nothing was there. Who is that?

"_**Give into your gift Katara…"**_

The voice chilled her, freezing her to that very spot.

"Who is there?"

Silence.

"This isn't funny Toph!"

Silence.

"Toph? Sokka? Anybody?" 

More silence met my ears. Whoever this was, it wasn't funny. I turned around and saw a misty figure in the distance. Obviously a woman, she had blue robes, water tribe, and pure white hair. She was very pale and looked very sickly…

"Who are you?"

The woman looked up and stared me down. Her cold eyes looked as if they were frozen, like ice.

"_**Give into the power Katara…"**_

"How do you know my name?"

"_**They took our entire culture… Your mother…"**_

My eyes widened in fear… That was what Hama that witch said when she tried to get me to bloodbend. I ran, far, far, far… But the witch followed after me.

"_**Kill them Katara… Kill the fire be-"**_

Suddenly, there was a scream that filled the air. I turned around to look for the demonic witch, but she was no longer there. Instead, stood the tall and brooding figure of a man. His raven hair was swept by the wind, his eyes roamed over me with their golden orbs, he looked worried. But for whom? Me? No, not surely. This man was the one in my dream turned nightmare, his well muscular chest held the pale luminescence of Yue's light from where the shirt was opened. He walked over to me. His eyes had never left mine.

"Are you alright, Katara?" His voice was like honey that soothed my soul from the chilling scare I had just received.

"Katara?"

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you were alright…" His eyes held worry.

"Oh. I am fine."

"What were you doing up so late?"

"I had a nightmare, so I decided to practice some bending, when I thought I saw someone."

"Who?"

"No one concerning you."

Well it's like two; let me take you back to your room."

"Fine."

We walked in silence for the rest of the way. One question bothered me though_: Why was Zuko up so late?_

"I wasn't."

I raised my eyebrows. Did I just say that out loud?

"What do you mean you weren't?"

"That's just it I wasn't, I was asleep, but then…" He stopped himself walking briskly past me. I ran up to catch up and grabbed his shoulder. Turning him around, I saw him blushing a deep red.

Annoyed, I asked, "Then what?"

"…I heard you call my name…"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Katara's POV

I stared into his burning gold eyes to see the truth. His eyes held no deceitfulness, only regret. But regret for what? His words?

"Why do you look so sad and so worried?"

"It is nothing you have to worry about…"

Annoyed once more this, I rolled my eyes and said, "If we have to share a hallway, I do."

"It's nothing really let's just get back to our rooms…" 

I stared at his walking form. He was so saddened by something… Wait! What do I care about that jerk face. His nation is the cause of this entire war. He is the prince of them to be more precise. He stopped with his steps of sorrow and looked right back to me. His face held a question on it that was saying "Are you coming?"

I turned from him and silently whispered, "I want to know why you heard my voice. It is just weird to say that, and not to be expected to have questions."

"Well, what do you want to know then?"

"How did you hear my voice? I never called out your name."

"I didn't hear it out-loud, but rather in my dreams, I guess you could say."

"That still doesn't explain anything. What did I say? What did you dream about?"

He shifted uncomfortably as he looked at me. What could be so embarrassing?

"Well, in the dream we were talking about some things that I don't remember, and then a bolt of lightning struck through me, and you screamed my name before I died…"

I stared at him, my eyes were wide in fear, and my entire body was trembling from what his words were. How did we have the exact same dream? That is impossible, there is no way in this universe. How could this be? I didn't tell him my dream, how could I have? I didn't talk to him about it earlier. Oh my La.

He came up to me, slowly, like as if he was searching for something in my eyes that would give away my emotions right now. I took a couple of steps back, retreating from him. His face became worried, and then he grabbed my hand. They felt warm to the touch, calloused and worn, but I felt safe in them. He pulled me closer to his body, and held me tightly but gently, like as if I was a porcelain doll.

In my ear he whispered sweetly with his honey voice, "Katara, you are freezing we need to get you inside, or near a fire. You could die from a cold out here."

He pulled back and looked into my eyes. His gaze held an emotion I had never been given before by him. I almost swooned when he said the very words that just about made me melt: "I will give you warmth."

I shivered, and then the world went black.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Zuko's POV

Her body went limp in my arms. She weighed nearly nothing; I mean she didn't look like she actually ate much to begin with either. She always gave her morsel of food to her brother, or to the Avatar. She never really ate much around the others or in general, it bothered me.

_You also have to add the fact that it is really cold outside tonight, and she only has her wraps on her…_

I think my face just went about twenty shades of red just now thinking about what I just thought in my head.

I looked down at her. Her beautiful mocha skin reflected the moon off of her giving of a glow. Her soft, dark brown hair was wet and in waves reaching all the way to about the lower region of her back. Her lips were pink and looked as if she had been biting down on them. Her face was smooth without imperfections, but it had a pink tinge across her cheek bone, probably from the cold.

_The cold… _

She will probably have pneumonia, from wearing only this, not to mention the fact that she was sopping wet from waterbending.

I looked around me, noting that it was probable about three by now. Scooping her from underneath the legs, I carried her bridal style to her clothes that were carefully folded next to the fountain. I turned us to the hallways and began to run down them heading straight for our rooms. Opening her door, I gently laid her down on her bed. Tucking a stray hair behind her ear, I stared at her beautiful face. She looked so at peace, but I needed her to wake up, so that she can take a warm bath.

"Katara?" 

She slowly stirred, her eyes had cracked opened, and then widely. Her beautiful azure eyes… Tui and La had used their waterbending power to create her eyes, making the perfect shade of blue. It was bold and strong whenever she was mad, like holding a sea storm, just brewing about, turning ice-cold. Whenever she was happy, her eyes would sparkle like a beautiful night sky with the dazzling stars shining about. Sadness was the worst of them all; her eyes would become dull and careless, as if there was no life within them.

There is a storm brewing…

"Zuko what are you doing in my room?" She looked pissed.

"You are getting sick and you need to take a warm bath to get rid of the coldness you probably have." 

"Well, okay…" Her eyes showed confusion, a new one, they were clouded, waiting for the next move.

"I will leave you to that…"

"Zuko…" 

I turned to her melodious voice.

"Yes?" 

"Thank you…" She whispered it to the point where I couldn't hear her, but I understood, clearly.

"No problem. I will be back later to check on how you are doing. Just don't fall asleep, you can't just yet."

"Okay."

I turned from the angel, and walked into my room. My heart was pounding…

_Maybe there is a bit of hope for us to get together… _


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Katara's POV

My body felt weak. I didn't want to move to take a shower or anything. My throat felt like it was burning in an inferno. Looking in the mirror, I saw that my face was blotchy from the cold, and my eyes held a daunting look in them, like as if they were hollow. I turned away from the stupid thing.

Turning on the hot water, my nose and body felt relaxed, and I almost wanted to sleep, but I couldn't yet.

_Why does Zuko care?_

I couldn't answer that question. I just didn't understand. As I began to relax, I took some of the water and made it flow through the air, shaping into various forms. I made Sokka, Toph, Suki, Aang, and the rest of the gang, with Zuko being last. His face was that emotion I saw him make, the last one, the one that was unfamiliar to me. But when I made it, the eyes didn't look right, the water held no comparison to the beautiful orbs of melted, flowing gold.

"_**Fire Nation scum… Kill him Katara… He is your enemy…"**_

I placed the water back into the tub at the sound of the voice of that witch, and made a realization.

_It doesn't make sense. Why should I care? He is from the Fire Nation? Not only that the prince._

I stood from up in the tub and scrubbed myself free of dirt and sweat. After finishing, I got out of the tub, and bended the water from my body. I was then going into my room so that I could change into something warm, but I realized with us just coming back from a battle, none of my Water Tribe parkas were here because we left them because it was relatively warm in the Fire Nation. We didn't need them at the time, and since I thought that we were going to win, I left them hoping that I could come back to them.

Crawling back to bed, I wondered how on Earth it could be so cold during the summer. I was shivering, even if I was dry, my room had received the coldest air with it being the furthest outside, holding a window.

Stupid view. You're going to kill me one of these days, maybe even today…

The door on the other side of the bathroom opened revealing Zuko. I coldly stared at him. His eyes trailed up and down my form, as if making note of everything I do. He sighed quietly.

"Good you're still up and dry. Yet, you are still shivering."

He looked around and settled his eyes to the window. His eyes widened and he glanced back at me.

Zuko's POV

_No wonder she is still freezing cold, she has a window that overlooks a cliff with a cold front blowing onto it. If she continues to stay in here, she could die from pneumonia. _

I looked back at her, noticing her cold stare.

What did I do now? Oh, it doesn't matter. I might not find out if she stays out here any longer.

"Katara come with me."

"Why should I?"

"Because you could possibly die from staying next to that window. Your body is already weakened from the…"

"I am not weak."

"I never said that. I said you are getting weakened. Your body can't handle the cold weather anymore."

She scowled at me. The storm was getting bigger…

Sighing at her stupidity, I picked her up again bridal style and carried her into my room. The entire time she was thrashing about.

"Put me down you jerk! Let me go!"

Getting fed up, I stopped in mid step. She kept thrashing. Looking dead cold in her eyes I held her tightly, and I told her in the most worried, most sincere, and most angry voice I could muster:

"I need you to get better."

Her entire body froze, and her eyes went to this frozen stand-still. It wasn't like when she was mad or sad, but it was different. I think she is in shock…

Katara's POV

_He needs me to get better. What is this, some kind of a joke? _

Looking into the gold, I saw an emotion I have never seen before in his eyes. My entire body went into shock. I couldn't understand what was going on. It is like I wasn't here when all of this happened. I didn't get it.

"Why?"

"Because I care about you…"

I stared hard into his eyes and found the truth…

_He isn't lying._


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Zuko's POV

She stared at me for the longest time with those beautiful ocean eyes.

_How is it that she is so beautiful?_

I started walking again. My feet were heavy as I realized what I just told her.

_But it's the truth…_

Katara's POV

_Did he just mean… Does he like… What?_

Zuko's POV

I laid her down on my bed, and carefully I tucked her in. The sheets hugged her as they were wrapped around her small form. She lay quietly staring at me her eyes were that same frozen blue color, meaning she was still shocked from what I just told her. I tucked another one of her beautiful curls behind her head. I turned from her, trying to get another blanket from her room for her. A small hand wrapped and pulled me back to her.

"Zuko…"

Her voice… I closed my eyes at the serene melody that was the voice of an angel.

"Zuko… did you really mean what you said to me?"

I looked down back at her, staring into the azure ocean. I took a breath and sighed.

Katara's POV

"Every word that came from my mouth just now was the truth. I would never lie to you."

"_**He lies… He is Fire Nation Scum… The poison of this Earth that we must get rid of… They took our culture… Your mother… He took her away from you along with his nation… He supports them… Katara don't let this filth deceive you… He is the truest form of evil… He must die…"**_

I became angry; Hama is right for an old witch. He took me from my family. He is the son of the Fire Nation. He and his stupid family caused the world pain and suffering. Why should I trust him?

With all of the power that the moon gave me, I got up from the bed and formed into the stance.

"_**That's right Katara! Do unto him what his family has done to our people… Make him your slave…"**_

I used all of my ability and located all of the blood within his body… All of the liquid…

His heart pulsed rapidly, and he looked scared as to what I might do to him.

_He should be scared…_

My arms were frigid and hard at first moving him to bend down on his knees, and then on his stomach on the floor. Soon the movement was smooth and I forced him to rise with his hands behind his back. By this time he was on his knees, and his muscles were tense with all of the force the blood is pushing him to perform. He looked shocked and frightened like a little baby turtle duck, lost without his mother to guide him.

_This will show the Fire Nation to never mess with the Water Tribe ever again._

Zuko's POV

_Is she controlling me? How is she doing this? There is no humanly way possible that she could possibly be doing this to me._

My arms were tensed with all of the strain from her pulling.

_It is like she is bending me from the inside._

My eyes widened.

_Blood…_

Everyone contains water within them. Blood… It's like a liquid that makes your entire body run, without it we would surely die because the heart would give out.

_If she is able to control the blood within me, then she can also kill me in an instant with enough focus… But what is fueling her, the moon? It's a full moon tonight that might be where she is getting all of her power from. But would she kill me without any hesitation. Katara doesn't kill mercilessly, something is wrong…_


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Katara's POV

My spirit had separated from the rest of my body. I felt as light as air, just watching over the actions of Zuko and I. Zuko was scared. I was angry, yet I felt very calm, almost tranquil.

_What is going on here? That is me down there, but I am right here watching me or my body rather. What's going on? Who is controlling my body?  
><em> 

"**You fool. How dare you use your idiotic Fire Nation tactics to sway this girl? Have your people no mercy onto those of the innocent? First, you take us away, the waterbenders of the Southern Water Tribe. Then, you take this girl's mother away from her. How dare you. Now you're trying to seduce her into the evil ways of your stupid ways of your people. Why don't you leave her alone? Insolent monster."**

Hama…

_That witch… Don't hurt him please I beg of you…_

"Who are you and what have you done to Katara?"

"**I am the one who is going to kill you."**

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Zuko's POV

_Whoever this spirit is, she is going to kill me… She is from the Southern Water Tribe, bitter from the siege of the Southern Water Tribe… Is it… No, it can't be…_

Flashback

I walked down the halls of the Palace. Endless halls of meaningless conversations, such as: the Fire Lord's latest concubine, the newest robes available today made by the finest silks, and how I killed the Avatar…

I sighed heavily at the first and the last ones of the list. If mother was here I would have killed my father, but she isn't. She is dead or alive somewhere outside of the Palace. As for the Avatar, I felt guilty for taking credit in his death; he was only twelve, a boy. 

Looking up, I saw my father walking toward me. He never does this, come for me himself, I mean. 

"Prince Zuko, I would like for you to come with me to decide the fate of a Water Tribe rebel."

My eyes widened.

_Katara?_

"Forgive me for asking, but which tribe, my Lord."

"The Southern."

๑๑๑๑๑๑

"Hama of the Southern Water Tribe, captured at during the Siege of the Southern Water Tribe, and had escaped from prison. She is a waterbender, the very last..."  
><span> 

"That is not true, there is one southern waterbender still alive," I spoke this aloud, not thinking once again, to the announcer, who looked almost cross.

"Continue," spoke my father, he ignored my outburst, clearly bored with the entire affair.

"She is one of the very last southern waterbenders, and is charged with the captivity and killings of many members of the village of Huo, a village of the Fire Nation."

My father's eyes remained bored with this whole trial, "How do you plead?"

"Guilty with pleasure," she said this with the most sinister of smiles.

I felt anger rise within me. How could she just look so smug about killing innocent people, women and children, the old and the young?

"How dare you! You kill innocent people without a single thought. Have you no mercy?"

"Do you? My people were taken from their very homes, their families. We were taken and slaughtered by the numbers. I only took what you have taken from me. We used to be a beautirul nation, rich with culture, but now we are refugees on a block of ice... So how can you claim for I to be the monster, when you sleep sounldy on a bed of silk, when a Water Tribe woman is raped in a cell, and no one cares when she screams."

She stared at me coldly with a pure hatred that no one has ever given me except the man sitting to my left.

_Is she right? Am I the monster? Am I just some big hypocrite?_

My father's eyes had peaked with interest at the old woman. He looked to me and lightly chuckled.

"You have the gall to push blame upon us, when it truly is you who is the monster. You are sentenced to death for your crimes at dawn, as a public demonstration to the people."

End Flashback

She was burned the next morning at dawn, covered in oil. Her flesh peeled away bit by bit as the flames engulfed her entire being, as if eating her alive. This punishment is meant to be the cruelest of all because the one being executed was awake the entire time without a drug to numb the pain. It was one of the worst things I saw. She didn't say a word at all. She didn't even scream. The only thing she did was laughing at me…

I can still hear that haunting laughter. It always disturbed me from a good night's sleep, for her face would appear and continue in that threatening way to scare the living daylights out of me.

"**Hahahahahahahahahah!"**

_There it goes again… That same laugh…_


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Katara's POV

"**I am the one who is going to kill you."**

_No. No. No! NO!_

Zuko can't die like this, not by her. Zuko doesn't deserve a death like that. To feel the pain of dying from the inside felt at a pressure of ten times worse than that of a heart attack. She wouldn't dare kill him, not in my body.

Reaching with all of the power that Yue would give to me, I looked down upon my body and with my heightened power, I raced toward me or her or whatever, my body.

Upon entering my mind again, I saw the spirit of a demonic witch who needed to die already.

"Hama!"

"**Ah, Katara… It's so nice of you to join us. I was just about to kill this scum. Would you like to do the honors for me?"**

"Never!"

"**Well then suffer with him!"**

Zuko's POV

Katara's body writhed against itself, like she was fighting herself. Then it stopped and "Katara" opened her mouth. Then the angel spoke…

"Hama!"

"**Ah, Katara… It's so nice of you to join us. I was just about to kill this scum. Would you like to do the honors for me?"**

"Never!"

"**Well then suffer with him!"**

Her voice would change as the two fought inside of the body. By this time, I was free from Hama's control over my body. I took my stance and prepared for the worst to come. I couldn't fight her, it was Katara's body. I would burn her body and then later on Katara could die from the burns if not treated quickly enough.

_What do I do?_

Katara's POV

I fought with Hama through my mind, she may have been strong, but I was still stronger than she ever wanted to be. She would continuously tell me of how inferior I was to her and a bunch of other stuff, but really I was desperately trying to get my body back to notice what she was saying half of the time.

Hama was really strong. I wanted to give up, but then…

"KATARAAAAA!"

My mind snapped to Zuko, he was out of her control. I couldn't talk to him just yet. I had to fight her off.

"Katara! Don't give up! She is nowhere near as strong as you are! You can't give up on yourself! This is your body; no one can take that from you!"

He walked up to us. We had stopped struggling against each other.

Slowly he reached up for the back of my head with one hand, and with the other he grabbed my waist and pulled me close to his chest. He inched his head closer to my face and whispered to me:

"Katara… I know you are still there… I just want you to know that the reason I left the Fire Nation was not to just to teach the Avatar firebending, but for you… I left the comfort of having a stable home, the ability to gain the throne, the chance to have the love of my birth father, and the girl who has been in a conditional love just for you. I realized that the Palace is not home with my father as the Fire Lord or my sister as a tyrannical monster. I realized that I didn't need the crown, jewels, or the many women who could give me everything I could ever want. I realized that my father did not love me from birth because I was what he called weak. I did not agree with the way he saw things when it came to war. I only believed that the world needed to be free and balanced by the unison of the four nations as equals, not a dictatorship. And as for that girl, I realized that she did not love me for my name, but the title the name came with. She did not love me for the giving her my heart, but the fact that I would sell my heart for whatever she wanted at that brief amount of time. She holds no emotions, and is only negative. She does not seek for the lightness in the dark, only the fact that she needs my firebending to guide her away. You are entirely different from that…"

I looked into his golden eyes and saw the truth…

"Katara, your eyes are truly the window to your soul. You show every emotion within the two pools that the gods gifted to you from a heavenly spring of water. Your eyes become a summer storm, a hurricane if you will, whenever you are angry. They sparkle as you become happy like the shimmering stars in the night sky. When you are confused, your eyes become a bit hazy like storm clouds in the sky, they cloud around, fuzzing the azure color. Whenever you are sad, and this is the worst of all, you look defeated, as if you have given up all hope, a dull shade of blue. Katara, you have the most stunning eyes I have ever seen. I hope to see the many different shades again, each one was beautiful in their own way. So don't give up on yourself please…"

"**You idiot! What makes you think she can overpower me? I am the most powerful waterbender in the world. No one can stop me!"**

My eyes started to water as I heard his words, then they widened as he neared closer to my body. His warm breath was on my face.

"Katara, I left because I loved you. For every day you were mad at me, was a gift as to the fact that you even talked to me just now. I would like to spend the rest of forever with you, but I need you to come back to me."

_He loved me? He loves me? He loves me!_

With all of the power I could muster I forcefully shoved Hama out of my mind. She clawed her way, trying to get back, but I wouldn't ever let her back in my head ever again. As she was shoved out, the world span around for the second time that night. And the world went black…

_He loves me…_


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Zuko's POV

Her body went limp in my arms again, and I looked over to the demon that left her body. She was still frail and old, looking afraid as to what would happen to her. Soon a bright light shown throughout the room and Hama screamed. The wail was quite frightening to my ears, and then as quick as the light came, it disappeared, Hama along with it. I had no doubt that she would be gone forever, but the impact she had on me and Katara would forever remain imprinted on our minds. Nothing could prepare me for the next thing that happened.

Katara's POV

My eyes felt heavy as I came around to waking up. I looked around at the room I was in, it was obvious that this was not my room.

"Katara?"

My body froze and I closed my eyes…

_He loves me!_

Everything came back and hit me like that "Space Earth" that we found a while a back ago: Hama, bloodbending, Zuko, love, me…

"Katara?"

I looked up into his eyes, that unfamiliar emotion that I couldn't quite place… It was the one of love…

"Katara, I know I must have scared you when I said those things a few minutes ago, but I meant every word of it, and if you don't return the same feelings then I understand. I've been having those feeling for a while now, ever since Ba Sing Se. They just haunted me until I realized that I loved you…"

I knew he meant every word of it because he still held that look of love in his eyes, and deep in my heart I could feel that he meant it. Call it what you will woman's intuition, hope, or whatever, but I knew he meant every word.

I gazed into his eyes and whispered, "Zuko, even though you love me, my feelings right now are a little confused. Everything is happening at once, and I feel overwhelmed… Maybe Hama made everything a little complicated for me, but I do feel something for you. Hama whispered things to me and tried to get me to hate you, so maybe some of that hate is diluting my feelings to you. All I know is that I did like you before all of this. I was hiding my feelings at the time because you betrayed me, but I do know that I like you. Maybe one day I will love you…"

His eyes had shinned brightly at my words, and he smiled at me. I never really noticed before that he has a handsome smile. Suddenly he pulled me into a soft and gentle kiss. My head started to spin and my heart felt like it was flying throughout the universe. As we pulled away from each other, we each had a goofy grin on our faces.

_Maybe I will love him one day…_

For the rest of the night, because my body was practically frozen, we stayed in his room, and fell asleep on his bed. And that morning, at about seven o'clock you could hear Sokka screaming all the way to the North Pole.

"KATARA! ZUKO I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"


End file.
